{"id":22381,"date":"2020-04-13T12:15:27","date_gmt":"2020-04-13T18:15:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skyhinews.com\/?p=64183"},"modified":"2020-04-13T12:15:27","modified_gmt":"2020-04-13T18:15:27","slug":"conservation-center-assesses-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-the-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/local-news\/conservation-center-assesses-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-the-environment\/","title":{"rendered":"Conservation center assesses the impact of COVID-19 on the environment"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.skyhinews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/04\/rideshare-SDN-012020-1024x683-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.skyhinews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/04\/rideshare-SDN-012020-1024x683-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.skyhinews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/04\/rideshare-SDN-012020-1024x683-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.skyhinews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/04\/rideshare-SDN-012020-1024x683-1-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption><strong>Holiday weekend traffic on Interstate 70 westbound Saturday, Jan. 18, left many stuck in traffic for hours. With the stay-at-home order in place, fewer cars are moving through the I-70 mountain corridor, cutting down on air pollution.<\/strong><br \/><em>Liz Copan \/ ecopan@summitdaily.com<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>DILLON \u2014 COVID-19 poses a major threat to human health during this pandemic. However, effects on the natural environment are less black and white. High Country Conservation Center Climate Action Director Jess Hoover said the consequences of the pandemic, such as the shutdown of businesses, presents a unique opportunity to plan for other climate related changes to everyday life.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have an opportunity as a result of the economic shutdown,\u201d Hoover said. \u201cWe can choose to move forward and create more sustainable and resilient communities and prepare for the shock that might come from a climate changed world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One environmental factor that has improved is air quality. Hoover said that while the conservation center is not actively tracking emissions at this time, state air pollution maps are likely to show a decrease. The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.colorado.gov\/airquality\/air_quality.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment records air quality levels on an hourly and daily basis<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i>&nbsp;for seven main areas: Denver Metro, Fort Collins-Greeley, Colorado Springs, Grand Junction, Colorado River Valley, Four Corners and \u201cOther,\u201d which includes Aspen. On Sunday, April 12, the air quality of all areas was rated \u201cgood.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday, March 15, the day following the closure of the ski areas, air quality was rated as \u201cgood\u201d for six areas. The Denver Metro area air quality was rated \u201cmoderate.\u201d Ratings were the same on Sunday, Feb. 16, which was Presidents Day weekend.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\">\n<div class=\"row shn-donation shn-donation-mobile p-0\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.skyhinews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/shn-logo-2x-wht.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.skyhinews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/02\/shn-logo-2x-wht.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-xl-8 p-3 text-center\">\n<h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyhinews.com\/donate\/?utm_source=article&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=donation&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_content=mid-article\">Donate<\/a><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>While weather is a factor in air quality, Hoover said one the most notable air pollutants in the state is the \u201cbrown cloud\u201d that tends to hang over the Front Range. Hoover said much of this pollution is attributed to traffic. A main source of traffic in Summit County is Interstate 70, which, according to traffic counts from the Eisenhower tunnel, has significantly decreased through the mountain corridor. The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/eisenhower-tunnel-traffic-numbers-tell-a-stark-tale-about-covid-19-shutdown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vail Daily reported at the end of March<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i>&nbsp;that since the shutdown of ski areas, there has been an 80% decline in Friday westbound traffic at the Eisenhower\/Johnson Memorial Tunnels compared with March 2019.<\/p>\n<p>Hoover pointed out that while decreased air pollution is helpful to vulnerable populations, such as those with respiratory issues, decreased air pollution as a result of a global pandemic of a respiratory virus doesn\u2019t do these populations much good. Additionally, some sustainable practices have been put on hold. Due to concern about transferring the coronavirus via reusable bags, the town of Frisco waived&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/frisco-passes-25-cent-single-use-bag-fee-starting-jan-1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the plastic bag fee<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i>&nbsp;that was in place to encourage the use of reusable bags through July 1. Hoover said that while she understands the added precaution, she hopes people won\u2019t \u201cget out of their good habits\u201d of using reusable bags.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Hoover said that the main question at this time as it refers to the environment is how does society prioritize sustainability while stimulating the economy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe virus, something like this, people can really relate to,\u201d Hoover said. \u201cYou can see the numbers. You might know someone who\u2019s sick and it\u2019s very personal to people. The problem with some of the environmental problems that we face is that they\u2019re invisible. \u2026 By the time they become visible, it\u2019s already a crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another outcome of the pandemic Hoover listed was a reduction in noise pollution that typically affects both people and wildlife. Noise pollution is often attributed to transportation vehicles like cars and airplanes, which are being used less.<\/p>\n<p>A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/scientists-disagree-about-gondola-impacts-along-cucumber-gulch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">debated source of local noise pollution<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i>&nbsp;is the gondola that typically brings skiers from the town of Breckenridge up to the ski resort. The gondola is currently closed to the public due to the closure of the ski resort.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/local\/gondola-encroaches-on-wildlife-preserves-most-sensitive-time-of-year-for-moose-mule-deer-cpw-says\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">An operating agreement requires that the gondola utilize a 45 day \u201cdark period\u201d<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i>&nbsp;every year where the gondola is to remain closed to the public in the springtime in order to protect the calving and fawning season for moose and mule deer in the Cucumber Gulch area. So far, the gondola has already been closed to the public for nearly a month.<\/p>\n<p>Looking ahead, Hoover noted that when businesses do reopen, there is a potential for change.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile pollution levels have gone down this is a turning point for us,\u201d Hoover said. \u201cWe can decide if we\u2019re going to prioritize sustainability or if we\u2019re going to go back to business as usual.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyhinews.com\/news\/conservation-center-assesses-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-the-environment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Sky-Hi News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Holiday weekend traffic on Interstate 70 westbound Saturday, Jan. 18, left many stuck in traffic for hours. With the stay-at-home order in place, fewer cars are moving through the I-70 mountain corridor, cutting down on air pollution.Liz Copan \/ ecopan@summitdaily.com DILLON \u2014 COVID-19 poses a major threat to human health during this pandemic. However, effects [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-22381","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-20 05:26:40","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KRKY Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22381"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22381\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}